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Holidays

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Friends not paying for villa

135 replies

jutishjwee · 17/09/2024 20:20

We booked a villa holiday to Fiji with some friends. We paid for the villa on our credit card and told friends they could pay us when the payment was due. They said sure.

Payment date has gone so paid out of savings. Sent a reminder saying please can you pay me the £1,000 for the villa as I’ve paid it out of my account. Friends said sure sorry been so busy with work.

Still no sign of money and now I could have been earning interest etc on that money. I think friends are a bit tight on dosh as they didn’t book flights for ages because wanted to wait til pay day to pay for flights.

OP posts:
TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 09:59

This is such a bizarre holiday from the uk. So many simpler options and there’s no direct flight!!! The obvious way is via Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. It takes forever! No one would think this was worth it, I’m doubting if there is this holiday! The flights are £thousands. No one living month to month would do this. Anyone contemplating it would only ask very well off friends and know they had the money.

jutishjwee · 22/09/2024 10:02

TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 09:59

This is such a bizarre holiday from the uk. So many simpler options and there’s no direct flight!!! The obvious way is via Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. It takes forever! No one would think this was worth it, I’m doubting if there is this holiday! The flights are £thousands. No one living month to month would do this. Anyone contemplating it would only ask very well off friends and know they had the money.

Totally bizarre answer from you.

OP posts:
pictoosh · 22/09/2024 10:09

Any sign of your money?

"Hi...just reminding you that I still need villa payment.
Enjoy your Sunday. xx"

cowandpigeon · 22/09/2024 10:31

jutishjwee · 21/09/2024 22:47

I think they’ll pay once they get their next pay check…

Do normal people do this? Book a holiday to Fiji that they can’t afford?

TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 10:57

@jutishjwee Not really! It’s what anyone else would think and it you who hasn’t got the money and will spend well over a day getting there! Unless you live in NZ of course? Do you?

FriYayyy · 22/09/2024 11:00

"I'd leave it 24 hours and then send another message saying, 'I'm afraid I need that money immediately now or I'll assume you are no longer coming on the holiday to Fiji. We have other friends who may be interested and I'll offer the villa to them if I don't hear from you'"

You'd be an idiot to do this 🤣

Barrenfieldoffucks · 22/09/2024 11:04

Honestly, bank transfers take 3 minutes to set up, being busy is no excuse.

FriYayyy · 22/09/2024 11:09

"This is such a bizarre holiday from the uk. So many simpler options and there’s no direct flight!!! The obvious way is via Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. It takes forever! No one would think this was worth it, I’m doubting if there is this holiday! The flights are £thousands. No one living month to month would do this. Anyone contemplating it would only ask very well off friends and know they had the money."

Bit dramatic. It's probably cost £3.5k per couple and plenty of people travel for 24-30 hours for a holiday. It's only one stop off in LA for Fiji, no different to going to Australia.

The strangest thing is that you don't really know if they've booked flights. Surely they have said whether they're on the same flight as you or not?

AlexaSetATimer · 22/09/2024 11:20

TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 09:59

This is such a bizarre holiday from the uk. So many simpler options and there’s no direct flight!!! The obvious way is via Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. It takes forever! No one would think this was worth it, I’m doubting if there is this holiday! The flights are £thousands. No one living month to month would do this. Anyone contemplating it would only ask very well off friends and know they had the money.

People do travel the world to places they are interested in, you know that? Confused

If you think it's false and a troll, report, don't post snidey posts.

rookiemere · 22/09/2024 11:21

It's a really big/expensive holiday to book with friends. Have you been away with them before?

Chillimuma · 22/09/2024 11:29

Send them a message every single day until they pay. Don’t lend them any money at all on holiday

SpanielPaws · 22/09/2024 11:34

They haven't got the money OP. And it's so rude not to be honest.

I wouldn't be going anywhere with them.

TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 11:38

@AlexaSetATimer Yes of course I realise that. However not with friends who cannot pay! I’ve been to many far flung places including the Antarctic. I’m well off but I’d never suggest this to friends who are living month to month. The cost from uk to Fiji would be quite high for 2 flights. Certainly this is more than that suggested above per couple. There’s food and transport too. It’s odd to contemplate this with friends who are flaky financially. Look at the resulting angst. It looks like the friends don’t share this need to travel.

user1494050295 · 22/09/2024 11:41

Hope you get your money. Fiji is beautiful. My dad used to live on mo lo lo lai lai. I have been loads in the past. Have a great trip

FriYayyy · 22/09/2024 11:46

"The cost from uk to Fiji would be quite high for 2 flights. Certainly this is more than that suggested above per couple."

Erm, no it's not. Flights to Nadi with British airways (stop off in LA) tend to hover around the £1200 mark. The OP has said the villa is £1000 per couple so that's £3400 per couple. Hardly breaking the bank.

You're very arrogant for someone who doesn't seem to know the basics 🤣

halava · 22/09/2024 11:52

I get a feeling that in the throes of excitement they agreed to go, but in the cold light of day are having second thoughts. Whether it's Fiji or Fuerteventura it doesn't matter.

I know it's so old fashioned now, but LIFT UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK TO THEM!. You have sent enough messages to have a trail of your demands for their share. Sometimes speaking in real time is so much more effective than texts that can be muted etc. for days until they come up with a cancellation excuse

So prepare for the cancellation, but hope for the best. You'd never know.

I don't think I'd want to spend a holiday with this pair after this anyway.

rookiemere · 22/09/2024 12:01

Chillimuma · 22/09/2024 11:29

Send them a message every single day until they pay. Don’t lend them any money at all on holiday

I wouldn't worry about lending them money on holiday, I reckon it's about an 80% chance they aren't coming.

pictoosh · 22/09/2024 12:03

Ugh these things are awful. One thing I've learned from both my own and other people's experiences, is to never ever get into a "we'll cover it now and you can pay us back" scenario over anything more than fifty quid.

I also fear they are approaching with excuses and a cancellation. I hope that's not the case and they have paid you with apologies.

Easipeelerie · 22/09/2024 12:05

I really wouldn’t now want to go on holiday with them.

TwistedWonder · 22/09/2024 12:11

Easipeelerie · 22/09/2024 12:05

I really wouldn’t now want to go on holiday with them.

I agree.

Op is the villa refundable? If so I’d just book a smaller place and if not I think I’d write off the £1k as a lesson learned and harvester holiday without them.

The whole thing would just be awkward to spend time with these CF’s now

Flossflower · 22/09/2024 12:16

TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 09:59

This is such a bizarre holiday from the uk. So many simpler options and there’s no direct flight!!! The obvious way is via Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. It takes forever! No one would think this was worth it, I’m doubting if there is this holiday! The flights are £thousands. No one living month to month would do this. Anyone contemplating it would only ask very well off friends and know they had the money.

Perhaps OP doesn’t live in the UK

DecafDodger · 22/09/2024 12:30

Surely they have said whether they're on the same flight as you or not?

I literally had a situation where we were looking for flights with an ex-friend, discussing all optons over whatsapp. Found one we both liked, checked prices, times etc. We were both booking our own. And she was telling me that yes, let's book those flights. I did, she, as it turned out, actually didn't.

Tulipsareredvioletsarebue · 22/09/2024 12:37

TizerorFizz · 22/09/2024 09:59

This is such a bizarre holiday from the uk. So many simpler options and there’s no direct flight!!! The obvious way is via Los Angeles with Air New Zealand. It takes forever! No one would think this was worth it, I’m doubting if there is this holiday! The flights are £thousands. No one living month to month would do this. Anyone contemplating it would only ask very well off friends and know they had the money.

Even more obvious would be to never go on holiday, why bother when you can sit at home on your bum watching Netflix?
Maybe OP's friend and OP are not counting pennies and 'living month to month'.

cowandpigeon · 22/09/2024 14:09

Tulipsareredvioletsarebue · 22/09/2024 12:37

Even more obvious would be to never go on holiday, why bother when you can sit at home on your bum watching Netflix?
Maybe OP's friend and OP are not counting pennies and 'living month to month'.

Maybe OP’s friend is Anna Delvey.

MiniCooperLover · 22/09/2024 14:13

I don't think OP has said they're definitely based in UK. Fiji is quite a common holiday destination for Australia or New Zealand for example?